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Anne Cunningham, in her First Chapters review series, takes on Julian Stannard’s The University of Bliss:

“With many acid observations on how our hallowed halls of learning have plummeted into grimy halls of profit, and of how college deans have been persuaded to ‘fumble in the greasy till’ of questionable sponsorship and patronage, this funny, futuristic satire is one that’s not so much 2035 as 2025.”

—Anne Cunningham, in the Westmeath Independent

In its year-end list of 78 recommended books, Scientific American recommends Lee Upton’s novel:

“This book is delightful for readers and would-be writers alike. The main character is trying to kick-start her career as a biographer, and her ups and downs are unexpected and entertaining. Think Diane Keaton in the 2003 movie Something’s Gotta Give.”

—Maria-Christina Keller, in Scientific American

Brian Martin reviews Julian Stannard’s The University of Bliss:

“[Stannard delivers] a devastating evisceration … The University of Bliss belies its title. This is a work of high satire and Stannard vents his frustration with more than a touch of Swiftian saeva indignatio. His ridicule is extreme and addictively readable.”

—Brian Martin, in The Spectator

“As the Bard himself once said, ‘The course of true love never did run smooth,’ and that certainly is the case in C.J. Spataro’s debut novel, More Strange Than True, a story of fairy mischief in truly Shakespearean proportions. Instead of existing merely as a retelling of a beloved classic, the novel luxuriates in themes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, expanding on and complicating them and sometimes rejecting them entirely…. [A] feminist take on tropes that are so old, they almost seem to be natural occurrences. Spataro’s work is complex and delightfully odd.”

—Emilee McIntyre, in Glassworks

“A brow-raising book of short stories…. [Stone employs a] density of wordplay … to keep readers delighted and surprised. His approach prompts thoughts of Nikolai Gogol’s absurdist short story ‘The Nose,’ while his sly nods to cultural touchstones as varied as Back to the Future and Bela Lugosi add modernist ridiculousness in the best of ways. In Sporting Moustaches, there are no appearances from famously moustachioed real-life athletes like Rollie Fingers, Mike Ditka or Dale Earnhardt Sr…. But the creative athleticism required to knit together this many hirsute sports yarns would have made them proud.”

—Daniel Fleschner, in The Daily Nutmeg

“Like the best comedy, Tabitha, Get Up contains deep feeling behind the sharp quips and humorous antics…. Joy and levity accompany Tabitha as she learns to make her life her own and decides to live it.”

—Ceillie Clark-Keane, in Necessary Fiction

Plaudits for Merrill Joan Gerber’s essays in Hippocampus Magazine:

“A pleasure to read…. Her own fine writing makes each essay a jewel, packed with delicious turns of phrase.”

—Vicky Mayk, in Hippocampus Magazine

“Merrill Joan Gerber’s episodic contemplation of mortality and her six-decade marriage (it’s the title piece of her new book, and it’s in Best American Essays 2023) is enraged yet hilarious. It reads as improvised, which makes its acuity and wit all the more explosive, and includes her idea for a death-preparation venture called The End of the Road.”

—Lawrence Levi, in The New York Times

W. D. Clarke’s long and thoughtful review of Lee Klein’s Neutral Evil ))), is well worth a read:

“Long after finishing it, I find myself still thinking about this—let’s not call it autofiction—digressive apologia pro vita sua and meditative, measured assessment of self, family, and culture. And, above all, this is not so much an account but a demonstration of how the artist resists the pull of the ’neutral evil’ of the world by harnessing the chaotic good to be found in it, in his or herself, and in other works of art…. Lee Klein shows us, embodies how the humble art of art is done, via memory, dream, reflection.”

—W. D. Clarke, "The Art of Resistance"

Kirkus Reviews weighs in on Lee Upton’s Tabitha, Get Up:

“Upton’s prose is razor-sharp—as filtered through the unpredictable and slightly delusional perspective of Tabitha, it takes on a magical, frenetic quality…. Though many madcap events occur, it’s Tabitha’s humorous and hypnotic voice that propels the story. A delightfully meta novel about a woman writing her way out of calamity.”

—Kirkus Reviews